Barcelona designer Nani Marquina gave a talk at Feria Hábitat Valencia today about the handmade, artisanal nature of her eponymous rugs and how materials and multiculturalism serve as inspiration.

Handcrafting is the key factor that has led to innovation for this company that treats each piece as a work of art, as Martín Azúa, one of the company's designers explained. Each new rug design or colour scheme can lead to a new technique, such as felting or tying on die-cut components one by one, but traditional skills are used and adapted to the contemporary patterns. Brushstrokes might not be involved, but because each element is done by hand, each rug bears the marks of many makers in countries such as India, Morocco, Pakistan or Nepal.

The handmade nature of the rugs results in a limited production, which in turn leads to a wider range of products. The types of patterns are dependent on the availability and variety of resources, which, of course, is reflected in the messages conveyed by rugs made by different cultures. The better the natural resources, the more meaning or symbolism.

It takes from 25 to 30 old rubber tires to weave Bicicleta.

Die-cut circles are sewn together and inserted by hand through the process of warp and weft for the Dolce series.

The tufts of wool are cut and shaved by hand in Do-Lo-Rez in order to attain the varying heights. No machines can do this.

Spiral was inspired by the dreadlocks of a Finnish woman who was working on felting wool by hand for Martín Azúa. Each spiral must rolled and sewn into place, one at a time, before all are assembled. The elements of Little Field of Flowers are slotted in between the threads of the yarn on the loom, just like those of Roses.

Involving the hands in every step of the process, from feeling out materials to the final tufting, knotting and cutting is what is at the heart of the work of Nani Marquina.